Hobby Hoedown Features Jane Lebak's Knitting Projects and Giveaway

Yee haw, it's Hobby Hoedown time with author Jane Lebak. Jane is offering a digital copy of her book, The Boys Upstairs, as a giveaway. 

Please leave a comment to be eligible to win the random drawing. Thank you.

With this post, we draw Hobby Hoedown to an end. It's been a wonderful experience for me. I hope you, Dear Readers, have learned more about your favorite authors 

and discovered more authors and good reads!

Knitting is Much More Than a Hobby by Jane Lebak

I never really knitted until I was grieving.

My grandmother crocheted all her life, even as young as 4^th grade coming home from school to crochet hats so her family could sell them. She taught me too, but I never completed anything.

When my own son was eight, he wanted to learn to knit, so I got a book and pestered my knitting friend until I could knit a straight line and crochet a granny square. About five months later, I'd made exactly three granny squares and finished knitting my first-ever scarf. Not very interesting. And then one December, I lost someone I loved.

My knitting friend posted a very simple crochet scarf pattern on her blog, something you could make with next to no skill (that was me) and any yarn around (we had something). And I discovered it was soothing. It helped. I could pray while crocheting. I could put the pain into the motion and the rhythm, and at the end it became something. In the middle of something lost, something had been made.

And I just kept going. I made another one of those scarves, donated them both, and then began knitting. I bought fluffy, soft yarn, and I knitted on big needles, and as soon as the scarves appeared, away they went to a charity. Not only did it soothe the pain, but now someone else would be warm. I branched out into hats.

In three and a half months, I made seven scarves and two hats, and I started a baby blanket.

I really felt a connection to the recipients when I knitted for the homeless or for the food pantry clients. Knowing that something I made could maybe make a difference in how well a person survived was important, but even more important to me was the thought that maybe after they received the knitted hat or the knitted scarf, they'd feel loved. God, please let the recipient be one warm hat away from turning it around. Several of the characters in my book The Boys Upstairs are homeless children, and the priest in that book runs a food pantry, so I've tried to shine some light on the difficult situations good people can find themselves in.

 Feel loved enough to maybe have hope, and maybe hope could help a homeless person turn it around. In fact, sometimes that was my prayer; nowadays I still donate to the homeless ministries. 

Knitted gifts also make great "swag" gifts for giveaways, like the pair of fingerless gloves I made for an ebook giveaway last month. (Who wants to take their gloves off to read an ereader in the cold?)

Fingerless gloves

Bagged fingerless gloves
with bookmark.

And now, even though I'm no longer knitting because I feel sad, the same benefits still apply: knitting is time to think, time to plan, time to be useful, time to pray, time to help someone else be warm.

# # # # 

Take a peek at Jane's e-book, 
The Boys Upstairs, the perfect read for the upcoming Christmas season. 

Three homeless children. Two estranged brothers. One last chance.

Kevin Farrell is a jaded police officer who’s trying to save three homeless children, but it’s three nights before Christmas, and the only one he can ask for help is his brother Jay, a disabled priest. The catch? He and his brother have been estranged for years, and Kevin wants nothing to do with Jay. Only now, to save these homeless kids, with temperatures below zero and falling, Kevin knows it’s going to take both him and his brother working together, if only they can mend the breach between them.

BUY LINKS

Kindle Link: 
MuseItUp link

Goodreads Link

About Jane

Jane Lebak is the author of The Wrong Enemy and The Boys Upstairs. She has four kids, three cats, two books in print, and one husband. She lives in the Swamp and spends her time either writing books or swatting mosquitos. 

At Seven Angels, Four Kids, One Family, she blogs about what happens when a distracted daydreamer and a gamer geek attempt to raise four kids.

Connect Online with Jane

Blog: 
Goodreads
Twitter

And a link to my knitting projects on Ravelry.

Holiday Food Drive Blogfest, This Week, E-book Giveaway

Badge created by Jeremy at Being Retro

M.J Joachim's generous, giving spirit has led her to a really creative idea for a blogfest, The Holiday Food Drive Blogfest. The fest is co-hosted by Tina Downey.

The idea behind this blogfest is to give back to the community during this season - to help those less fortunate. Whether the holidays fill you with cheer or dread, helping others is always a good idea.

If you would like to join this blogfest, go to Tina's Life is Good Blog to find out all the information and to sign up on the linky list. 

You can make a difference in your community by blogging about your local food bank and giving a shout out to your readers to bring about awareness of the hungry people in your area. You can post a blog about it anytime during November 18-20.

# # # # 

Our church has a food pantry. They are providing Thanksgiving meals complete with a turkey for folks in need. The church has been doing this for several years, so it is very organized. The parishioners are given a simple brown grocery bag with a shopping list stapled to it. We fill the bag with those items such as canned veggies, canned yams, instant mashed potatoes, boxed stuffing, etc. and then return it to church where the bag containing the entire meal will be distributed to those who need help in providing a Thanksgiving dinner for their family this year.

The holiday season is one of giving and many donations are received at this special time of year, however, people need to bring donations to food pantries all year round. Summer is especially difficult for families with children because the kids are eating lunch at home instead of school. You know how kids love snacks and can eat all day when they're home, so parents need help in providing healthy snacks too.

Tina suggested donating food AND your time to help out at the food pantry if you're able. Yes, we can all make a difference during this season of giving and all year long. Thank you!

# # # # 

This Week

Please keep the people of the Philippines in your thoughts and prayers this week. If you can make a donation to help with the clean-up, food and water, and  re-building the lives of these folks, please do so.  UMCOR  is an agency of the United Methodist Church and 100% of your money will go directly to disaster relief for the people devastated by the typhoon. 

Monday, November 18, 2013

Last week I participated in the Blog Tour and answered four questions about my writiing process. This week I invited three writers to answer those questions. Please visit their blogs and discover how their writing process works. Entertaining reading for all.

Look for these authors to answer the four questions this week on their blogs.

• Romance writer Helena Fairfax
• The "official unofficial" reporter of Gum Drop Island, I.B. Nosey
• Romantic Suspense/Second Chances/Experience Required author Marsha R.West 

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Author Jane Lebak will be featuring her hobby, knitting, on the final edition of Hobby Hoedown for this year. Jane is generously providing a give away of her e-book, The Boys Upstairs, the perfect read for the upcoming Christmas season. 

Three homeless children. 
Two estranged brothers. 
One last chance.

So ya'all come back now on Thursday because knitting is much more than a hobby for Jane.

See ya' there!

Hobby Hoedown Features the Hobbies of Author Heather Greenis

Please welcome author Heather Greenis to the Hobby Hoedown! Thank you, Heather, for sharing your hobbies--knitting, gardening, and curling (and I don't mean curling your hair!)

Heather Greenis Talks Hobbies 

Thanks for welcoming me onto your blog. A hobbies theme got my attention, Yes, I have a few.

As a kid, Mom and Grandma taught me to knit and sew. While in high school, I knit two sweaters without using a pattern.  I was complemented regularly on both.  My friends loved them. I also knit pure wool cardigan sweaters for my mom and sister for Christmas. I haven’t picked up knitting needles in years.

My next hobby was and continues to be photography.  That was an expensive hobby before digital came around. My hubby and I share this passion although I admit, he is better, more meticulous than I am. We have boxes of pictures and negatives in the basement. I’m always thrilled when we return from a holiday and question who took a particular shot. Nature is truly inspiring. Keep the camera ready, just in case.

Yes, that is grape jam in the feeder. We went through over 20 jars of jam this past summer.

When I decided to take an early (really early) retirement from my full time job friends questioned what I would do with my time.  “Are you kidding me?? I won’t be bored”, and I’m not.

Gardening is my summer hobby.  Living on a little over an acre, we have more gardens than I can possibly maintain. I can spent an entire day outside and barely scratch the surface.  Those darn weeds keep popping up. If it wasn’t for the weeds in the grass, our lawn wouldn’t be green, but being environmentally friendly, we’re not spraying.

The season changes and curling begins. It’s a sport that is almost impossible to explain.

Some facts -

•   Curling is played on ice with rocks and brooms.

•    It’s a non contact sport with 4 people per team, although they are coming out with a 2 person team.

•    The game involves teamwork, communication, math, physics and strategy.

•   It’s both mental and physical

•    It’s a great sport for all ages. At our club, our youngest member is 6 and the oldest member that I know of is in her late eighties.  My husband and I manage a league that has a junior and seniors. Where else does that happen??

•    The goal. To have a rock or rocks closest to the ‘centre of the house’ (painted rings on the ice) once all 16 rocks are thrown.  Sounds easy but it isn’t.  Strategy comes into play.

•    As for physics, each rock weights 44lb. When they hit each other, and they do, they       don’t break, but move. Physics dictates where the point of contact must occur for the preferred effect.

•    Each rock slides down the ice and needs to stop in a certain location to remain in play.  The ‘house’ is 12 feet in diameter.  Anything in this area can potentially score.

•    The curling sheet is 138 feet long and 14 feet wide. The person throwing the rock must release it within the first 21feet. For a rock to be considered in play, it must remain within a 15 foot area.

•   sweepers sweep ahead of the rock, not behind - brushing the ice cleans any residue and heats the surface therefore slightly melting the ice. This makes the rock travel further, not faster and remain in a straighter line as it travels.

•   the person at the far end of the ice will show the thrower and sweepers the desired location for the rock and then place the broom down close to that position, or a distance away, depending on how much the rock is expected to curl. The thrower aims the rock at that boom with the desired weight control and counts on the sweepers to judge the speed as it travels.

I did say it’s a mental as well as physical sport and difficult to explain. Our youngest members are 6 and they have potential. I manage our junior league which ranges in age from 6 to 18 years of age.  With the help of three other coaches, we are on the ice once a week for two hours training the our future curlers. 

Someday when I’m watching the Olympics I might see a name I recognize and I’ll say, “ taught him, her or them when they were young. I’m so proud!”  I’m ready for this year’s Olympics. My PVR is ready.

I play a minimum of twice a week, once competitively and once socially. This is my competitive team. Debbie O, Kim W, Pat S and me. My other hobby? Well allowing my imagination a release of course.  Sitting at my computer and letting a story unfold.

# # # #

My continuing saga, Natasha’s Dream, Natasha’s Diary, Natasha’s Hope and Natasha’s Legacy took me 10 years to write. It’s actually one big book, and it’s my dream come true to see it come to life.

Growing up, her only friends were her brothers and Nanny. In her parent's mind, she was a mistake. As a result of an innocent swim, she discovered life existed beyond the walls of her home. Families, peers, underprivileged children. Can a dream turn into reality? Anything is possible, but dreams come with consequences that not only affect her, but those she loves. What is Natasha willing to risk to persevere?

Links to Natasha's Dream

MuseItUp Publishing Bookstore

Amazon link    

Kobo   

Natasha’s Diary will release in December 2013

Keeghan’s subconscious has played tricks on her in the past, but she’s normally able to control the outcome of her dreams. No such luck with this story. The mystery magnifies when her husband William discovers something else by the eroding sea wall. Something that peaks their curiosity even further. Coincidence? Now, Keeghan wants the dream, the saga to continue. Drawn into this story more than she was prepared for, she needs answers.

Hope is growing up quickly. Intelligent, independent and stubborn. Negative traits inherited from both her mom and dad surface at inconvenient times. Will her beauty help or hinder her? 

A tragedy. Stewart is forced to make a decision that will affect his life and the rest of his family. Then, an encounter that changes everything. Is he ready for this? Has Stewart’s past really been left behind? Will history repeat itself? Trust, integrity and tradition all come into question.

# # # #

About Heather:

Heather has an uncanny ability to frequently “manipulate” her dreams. As a bonus, she remembers them in extensive detail the following morning. A dream inspired the basic storyline. Then her overactive imagination developed the characters and the detail. In her spare time Heather assists the Healing Cycle, Hospice Palliative Care. She is also actively involved with the local curling club, currently volunteering her time teaching children when she isn’t curling herself. Heather has a passion for travel, photography and gardening.

Link to Heather Greenis website    

More links are found on Heather's website including a link to Facebook. Please send her a friend request. 

Here's My Plan for Writing and Marketing, This Week, and This Month

My Plan for Writing and Marketing by J.Q. Rose

So many avenues for marketing my books, Twitter, Facebook, Blogger, Goodreads, Pinterest, Amazon, and now Google Plus. My head was spinning trying to keep up with all of them. Alas, I crashed and burned. I was trying to do everything, but not doing well at any of them. Needless to say I wasn't writing anymore fiction or non-fiction. With so many balls in the air, there was no time or energy to scribble down a short story, let alone a novel.

After studying my own reading habits, I realized I needed to add more books to my J.Q. Rose list. When I like an author, I always go back to see what else she/he has written. But if there are no other books for a reader to choose from, she can't buy them (Similar to the retailer's saying, "You can't sell out of an empty cart.) That's when I decided to prune my marketing responsibilities to give me more time to up my word count. Just as we prune plants to become stronger, I believe I can make my writing career better by concentrating on marketing I can do well (and even enjoy!) and focus on getting words on paper (or on my screen.)

Here's my plan.

• Dedicate certain days for posting on my J.Q. Rose blog every week, evidenced by Monday posts and the Hobby Hoedown Thursday event. I enjoy blogging and never seem to run out of ideas for articles.
• Invite authors to be guests on the J Q Rose blog and on the Girls Succeed blog.
• Never sign up for Twitter.
• Join the Insecure Writers Support Group who write blogs and share the posts with each other. Good source for writing information too at the IWSG Website.
• 
•  Participate in more blog hops and tours.  
• Join Google+. I read Guy Kawasaki's What the Plus! Google+ for the Rest of Us, a helpful book on what Google Plus is all about. I joined and post there. He says in the book it is primarily a photo and video site. It's a great way to share posts with readers.
• Open a Facebook Author Page. Because all the industry articles shout about the traffic on FB, I did open the FB page and I'm very pleased with the response and the stats that can be obtained from it. (Psst--Please like me at the J.Q. Rose Facebook page when you get a minute. If you are #100, I'll send you my latest short story!) 
• Set aside time after lunch Monday through Friday to write stories. No definite word count or time frame. Just write!

I am no guru on how to write, market, and sell books, but I am going to have the best adventure in discovering how to do it. This plan is my latest attempt. 

Do you have some tips for us on how you juggle all the responsibilities of being a published author? Please, share in a comment below. Let's help each other!!!

# # # #

This Week:

Halloween is this Thursday, so Hobby Hoedown will continue on Nov. 7. Have a safe and happy Halloween. I wrote about my Halloween Memories on the MuseItUp Publishing blog last week. When you read it, my memories may spark some of your own.

Here are the hobbyists in November's Hobby Hoedown event.

Nov.
7	Heather Greenis	curling
14	Margaret Mendel	photography
21	Jane Lebak	knitting
28	THANKSGIVING

All Month:

Breast Cancer Awareness month

Lavender Dreams

Ten short stories in this anthology to entertain you. More importantly, the authors and cover artist have generously donated these stories and their royalties to help raise funds for cancer research each year.

Authors:

MuseItUp Publishing Authors: Barbara Ehrentreu, Gloria Oren, Lisa J. Lickel, Nan D Arnold, Nathaniel Tower, Rosemary Gemmell, Suzannah Safi, Tanja Cilia, Vicki Batman

Buy Link at MuseItUp Publishing

# # # # 

Christmas in October continues at Penny Estelle's blog. Win 50 prizes!

Christmas in October

Every Monday and Thursday during October,

six different authors will be spotlighting their books. 

Some lucky commenter is going to win over 50 different prizes. 

It could be you!  All you need to do is comment.

 The more you comment, the more chances you have of winning

all of these fabulous prizes.

Penny's blog. 

Ho!  Ho!  Ho!

Cabbage Patch Kids Visit, This Week, Giveaways

Happy Monday to you!

This snowbird and her mate have finally settled into their winter nest in sunny (and very hot) Florida. On the way South, we stopped to visit friends in Cleveland, GA, home of the Cabbage Patch Kids Doll Co.

What a delightful place to visit. In this magical location, Cabbage Patch Babies are born.

Cabbage Patch Kids became a household name (if you had girls in your household anyway) in the early 80's. In fact the company is celebrating its 30th birthday this year. Yes, we had two little girls in our family. They saw a display of the dolls in a store in our area and fell in love with these unique "kids." To be honest, I thought the dolls were ugly...shhh...don't tell the girls.

 In fact lots of little girls fell in love with them. In fact, the company could not keep up with demand. My mother made it her mission to find dolls for our girls. She didn't want them to be disappointed on Christmas morning. She worked her magic and eventually did provide two dolls for our daughters. Our girls loved their dolls and to this day still have them packed away in their homes.

This doll store is unique in that the cabbage patch babies are "born" right there from a Mama Cabbage. (Yes, please suspend reality here and enjoy the fun!)

 The nurse checks Mama Cabbage vital signs.

And a few minutes later out pops Nichole Denise. She was named by one of the little girls in the audience. The name and birth certificate are included with the purchase of the doll.

The day was perfect except I wish my now grown daughters were with me to share the experience!

This Week:

Tuesday through Thursday, October 22-24, I will be participating in the Who's Your Hero Blogfest. Come back tomorrow or the next couple of days and tell us who your hero is and you could be one of two winners in the drawing for two  prizes...an e-copy of Saving Sam by J.L. Campbell and an e-copy of Girls Succeed!

Friday, October 25--I will be posting on my publisher's website, MuseItUp Publishing blog in the afternoon.

Hobby Hoedown will continue after Halloween, so ya'all come back! Here are the hobbyists in November.

Nov.
7	Heather Greenis	curling
14	Margaret Mendel	photography
21	Jane Lebak	knitting
28	THANKSGIVING

All Month:

Breast Cancer Awareness month

Lavender Dreams

Ten short stories in this anthology to entertain you. More importantly, the authors and cover artist have generously donated these stories and their royalties to help raise funds for cancer research each year.

Authors:

MuseItUp Publishing Authors: Barbara Ehrentreu, Gloria Oren, Lisa J. Lickel, Nan D Arnold, Nathaniel Tower, Rosemary Gemmell, Suzannah Safi, Tanja Cilia, Vicki Batman

Buy Link at MuseItUp Publishing

# # # # 

Christmas in October continues at Penny Estelle's blog. Win 50 prizes!

Christmas in October

Every Monday and Thursday during October,

six different authors will be spotlighting their books. 

Some lucky commenter is going to win over 50 different prizes. 

It could be you!  All you need to do is comment.

 The more you comment, the more chances you have of winning

all of these fabulous prizes.

Penny's blog. 

Ho!  Ho!  Ho!